South Florida's first Mormon Temple to open in spring

South Florida's first Mormon temple is rising up along Interstate 75, and for three weeks this spring will welcome outsiders.

The temple, located on the northeast corner of I-75 and Griffin Road in Davie, will be the second in Florida and when open will help meet the religious needs of 28,000 members.

"The church is steadily growing down here," said Anthony Burns, of Miami, who chairs the open house and dedication committee. "[South Florida] is such a large metropolitan area with high levels of church activity that they needed to build one."

There are 140 Mormon temples worldwide, used only for special occasions by members who have convinced local church authorities they are fundamentally good and keep the commandments. South Florida's Mormons currently must trek to Orlando if they want to hold such ceremonies as baptisms and marriages.

Regular worship takes place at the dozen or so meeting houses across South Florida.

For three weeks between mid-March and mid-April, the temple will offer free tours of the 30,500-square-foot space. Those interested are encouraged to register beforehand on the temple's website. While the signup form is not yet available, church leaders expect it to be ready by the end of the month.

"It's to let people know about us and show that we're being good neighbors and good friends," said Burns.

It'll be the only time the 16-acre site will open its doors to non-members.

Burns said the steady swell in congregants prompted The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City to open a temple in the area. The church decides when and where to build temples.

"It was starting to become a heavy burden for [the temple in] Orlando," said Burns. "And now we have the numbers to make a temple here successful."

He said Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential run helped spur interest in the church. Romney is Mormon.

"It has received dramatically more attention since then," said Burns.

Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties have a combined 23,000 church members, a 43 percent increase from four years ago, Burns said. The Davie temple will also cater to another 5,000 members in Key West, Stuart and Fort Myers.

The temple's one building will boast about 10 rooms adorned with stained-glass windows.

"It looks very South Florida; the color and the glasswork and the framing," said Burns. "It's tied architecturally and visually to [the area]."

That includes a sand-colored exterior and an inside accented with touches of light green. The building's exterior is detailed with carvings of sawgrass and the windows are covered with ornate designs of reeds and leaves. A gold angel stands atop the building's lone spire, at just under 100 feet high.

There is an instruction room, a sealing room where marriages will be performed, and a baptismal font that rests a small pool on 12 figures of oxenrepresenting the 12 tribes of Israel.

Construction began in 2012 and is being monitored by the church in Salt Lake City, which will oversee the temple after it's dedicated in late April/early May.

When Burns first arrived in the state in the 1970s, he said the only temple was in Utah. As the church grew, the temples expanded — slowly coming south to Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Orlando.

"It's just got closer and closer and now it's here," he said.

For more information visit: http://www.fortlauderdalemormontemple.org. Tour signups will be available later this month, church officials say.